Bruce Brakel's Posts - www.DiscGolfersR.Us2015-03-03T23:08:29ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakelhttp://api.ning.com/files/sQ47iGsn0mvyMzehRanOnUqMLlxLbIlLSkG5o2edSok_/Bruceputtingcroppedcopy.jpg?width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://discgolfer.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=2hu61r6jmpeiy&xn_auth=noMokena Big D Doubles Course Routingtag:discgolfer.ning.com,2011-07-31:1809917:BlogPost:24196212011-07-31T01:27:14.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
<p>I'm just transcribing my course routing notes and leaving them somewhere on the internet where they will be handy later. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mokena Big D Course Guide</p>
<p>Any distances which vary from the tee sign were measured by wheel. The only water o.b. is the pond near tournament central. Any wet drains or creeks are casual: stand where it lands, or go straight back away from the basket until you are out of the water with no penalty, if you are taking that throw. On 500+ foot holes,…</p>
<p>I'm just transcribing my course routing notes and leaving them somewhere on the internet where they will be handy later. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mokena Big D Course Guide</p>
<p>Any distances which vary from the tee sign were measured by wheel. The only water o.b. is the pond near tournament central. Any wet drains or creeks are casual: stand where it lands, or go straight back away from the basket until you are out of the water with no penalty, if you are taking that throw. On 500+ foot holes, you may drive when the group ahead is out of range. </p>
<p>Hole - Length - Par - Description</p>
<p>1-2 ---- 515 ---- 3 -- From 1 Long to Basket 2</p>
<p>3 ------ 365 ---- 3 -- 3 Long</p>
<p>4-5 ---- 440 ---- 3 -- 4 Long to 5 basket</p>
<p>6-7 ---- 650 ---- 4 -- 6 Long to 7 basket. Throw in the direction of the bagged #4 basket. Possible rope o.b. on right.</p>
<p>8 ------ 275 ---- 3 -- Hole 8, long if there is a short.</p>
<p>9 ------ 540 ---- 3 -- Hole 9 long.</p>
<p>10 ----- 560 ---- 3 -- Hole 10 long</p>
<p>11 ----- 430 ---- 3 -- Hole 11 long</p>
<p>12-13 - 750 ---- 4 -- Hole 12 tee to 13 basket. </p>
<p>14 ----- 300 ---- 3 -- Hole 14 long</p>
<p>15 ----- 290 ---- 3 -- Hole 15 long</p>
<p>16-17 - 350 ---- 3 -- Hole 16 tee to 17 basket, mando left of the marked tree. </p>
<p>18 ----- 450 ---- 3 -- Hole 18 long</p>
<p>19 ----- 210 ---- 3 -- Hole 19</p>
<p>20 ----- 225 ---- 3 -- Hole 20</p>
<p>21 ----- 235 ---- 3 -- Hole 21. After 21 you are going to the 6 Red (Short) tee, so don't cut through 18 fairway.</p>
<p>6-22 -- 780? --- 4 -- 6 Short (red) to 22 basket. Throw towards bagged #6 basket and just keep going to 22 basket. I forgot to measure this hole but will try to get out for IOS Jericho Lake and measure it then. There may be rope o.b. on the left to separate this from hole 6-7. </p>
<p>23 ----- 310 --- 3 -- 23 long if there is a short</p>
<p>24-25 - 410 --- 3 -- 24 long to 25 basket</p>
<p>26 ----- 310 --- 3 -- 26 long</p>
<p>27E ---- 550 --- 4 -- 27 long to portable Chainstar near pond and tournament central. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>21 holes - 8945 - 67 - When adding your scorecard you may want to use the convention that every hole is par three and that 21 X 3 = 63. Par 4s are indicated for purposes of the Eagle Pool and par is 4 on those holes if you are late to tee off. Don't let the par fours confuse you when totalling your card.</p>The PDGA Barf Formattag:discgolfer.ning.com,2011-04-12:1809917:BlogPost:23607992011-04-12T23:29:36.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
<p>Are you a PDGA amateur who is tired of high entry fees and craptastic plastic payouts? Are you a PDGA pro who competes in age or gender restricted pro divisions who is not competitive in MPO? Do you play tournaments in south-eastern Michigan? If you answered "yes" to two of those questions, keep reading.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the earliest years of this millenium I used to run tournaments in Michigan. When my brother wanted to start running tournaments in Illinois I cut back to doing nothing…</p>
<p>Are you a PDGA amateur who is tired of high entry fees and craptastic plastic payouts? Are you a PDGA pro who competes in age or gender restricted pro divisions who is not competitive in MPO? Do you play tournaments in south-eastern Michigan? If you answered "yes" to two of those questions, keep reading.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the earliest years of this millenium I used to run tournaments in Michigan. When my brother wanted to start running tournaments in Illinois I cut back to doing nothing in Michigan, and I started helping my brother in Chicago. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Back then I was already tired of high entry fees and plastic payouts. So we experimented with trophy-only optional entry fees: as an amateur you could get in for prizes, or not pay the prizes surcharge and just play for the trophies and CTPs. That led to experimenting with Half-In: you could pay half the pro entry fee and if you cashed, take half the cash indicated for that spot. The half you turned down was redistributed to the full-in players in your pro division. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>We have also experimented with super-low entry fees and no prizes, like $5 entry PDGA sanctioned tournaments, or $15 entry fee with a player pack. I would like to bring the super-low entry fee sanctioned tournament to Michigan, because all I see here is high entry fees and mediocre amateur payouts. I'd rather pay $5 or $10 and skip the craptastic plastic. But here's the twist: everyone would also have the option to enter into a cash side game where they would be competing against similarly rated players for cash. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you answered yes to two of those questions and you want to help make this happen, I'm looking for you. Soon I will make a DGRS club page and start inviting SE Michigan players to join. If you see this, maybe you could suggest a name for the DGRS club. </p>Learn to Playtag:discgolfer.ning.com,2009-10-07:1809917:BlogPost:19303432009-10-07T04:02:19.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
We did one of those Learn to Play Disc Golf things for the kids today. We had about 20 or 25 kids. It was insane chaos. We started 15 minutes late and only had the three of us and five learn-to-play people. We decided to play best shot in a big eightsome. By the end of hole 1 stragglers had doubled the size of the group and we split up into three smaller groups. One of those groups then picked up more stragglers and split again. The main thing was to get discs in the hands of new players and to…
We did one of those Learn to Play Disc Golf things for the kids today. We had about 20 or 25 kids. It was insane chaos. We started 15 minutes late and only had the three of us and five learn-to-play people. We decided to play best shot in a big eightsome. By the end of hole 1 stragglers had doubled the size of the group and we split up into three smaller groups. One of those groups then picked up more stragglers and split again. The main thing was to get discs in the hands of new players and to let them loose on an easy beginner course to have fun. I think we accomplished that.<br />
<br />
One of the little girls, Kaylie, was a natural. She had a nice, smooth straight throw. Her dad bought discs, but i think he bought them for her brothers. Hopefully next week she goes to a learn-to-play tennis thing run by a better coach. People never believe me when I say, "Your kid is a natural." Every time there is one. I don't say it about every kid,<br />
<br />
I'm so deaf. I called her Katie for nine holes. I probably called her Katie 26 times since I always let her throw first. She was too polite or intimidated to correct me. A lot of small children are afraid of me, with my crazy beard and loud voice.<br />
<br />
We might get a junior league going again, for two more years. Kira has several friends and acquaintances who drive and have cars.<br />
<br />
Today's really good joke: "That boy doesn't need a costume for Halloween. He can just walk around and show people that he has a driver's license!" The other good joke. At the end Kira and I were sitting in the car waiting for everyone to leave. She asks, what are we the marines? First in and last out? And I say, no, I'm just afraid to leave here with any of those boys driving the same road behind me!<br />
<br />
Unrelated, we packaged three orders today, 170 discs, and are 1/3rd of the way back to zero. Still a lot of good stuff in the Blowout Sale.I just need to vent.tag:discgolfer.ning.com,2009-10-06:1809917:BlogPost:19290312009-10-06T04:40:25.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Apparently getting out of the merchlord racket is emotionally trying. I did not anticipate this.<br />
<br />
I sold the last Fishy-fishy disc, a Predator, tonight. I searched the spreadsheet using Ctrl-F for fish and fishy and did not find any more. Fishy-fishy was my favorite hotstamp. But, it all has to go. I sell discs. I don't collect them.<br />
<br />
I'm giving these discs away for what I paid for them. They are all new and unthrown. Some guy orders 4 or 6 D Buzzzes tonight. He's getting them for $4 each but I…
Apparently getting out of the merchlord racket is emotionally trying. I did not anticipate this.<br />
<br />
I sold the last Fishy-fishy disc, a Predator, tonight. I searched the spreadsheet using Ctrl-F for fish and fishy and did not find any more. Fishy-fishy was my favorite hotstamp. But, it all has to go. I sell discs. I don't collect them.<br />
<br />
I'm giving these discs away for what I paid for them. They are all new and unthrown. Some guy orders 4 or 6 D Buzzzes tonight. He's getting them for $4 each but I need a zip code to calculate postage. I tell him it will be $5 to $8 depending on where he lives. He says he only wants the discs if postage is $5. Not wasting time with losers. Five word reply: It doesn't work that way. That really pissed me off.<br />
<br />
Apparently getting out of the merchlord racket is emotionally trying. I did not anticipate this.<br />
<br />
I posted on discgolfreview tonight and now inquiries are coming in really fast. Or discgolfscene. Or discgolfplace. I forget.Season Ending Saletag:discgolfer.ning.com,2009-09-22:1809917:BlogPost:19114952009-09-22T22:24:12.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Details here:<br />
<br />
http://discontinuum.org/index.php?option=com_smf&amp;Itemid=26&amp;topic=4773.0<br />
<br />
Respond here:<br />
<br />
http://discontinuum.org/index.php?option=com_smf&amp;Itemid=26&amp;topic=4773.0
Details here:<br />
<br />
http://discontinuum.org/index.php?option=com_smf&amp;Itemid=26&amp;topic=4773.0<br />
<br />
Respond here:<br />
<br />
http://discontinuum.org/index.php?option=com_smf&amp;Itemid=26&amp;topic=4773.0New Stuff, New Old Stuff, and a Tiptag:discgolfer.ning.com,2009-04-25:1809917:BlogPost:17484452009-04-25T16:09:25.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
This is my new Superman:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2451786"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img6.glowfoto.com/images/2009/04/25-0806392863T.jpg"></img></a><br />
<br />
You can probably get a larger image by clicking on the picture. Try it and see. That, or your monitor will melt. I forget which one right now.<br />
<br />
This is a new dye but an older mask:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2451781"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2009/04/25-0754001455T.jpg"></img></a><br />
<br />
It takes an hour to tease the dye onto the plastic if you're being careful not to get any blue in the orange.<br />
<br />
I want to…
This is my new Superman:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2451786"><img src="http://img6.glowfoto.com/images/2009/04/25-0806392863T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
You can probably get a larger image by clicking on the picture. Try it and see. That, or your monitor will melt. I forget which one right now.<br />
<br />
This is a new dye but an older mask:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2451781"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2009/04/25-0754001455T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
It takes an hour to tease the dye onto the plastic if you're being careful not to get any blue in the orange.<br />
<br />
I want to put this next disc in my bag. $20 says I don't. I'm not betting. I'm advertising the price.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2451777"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2009/04/25-0753476698T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
I help my brother out with his tournaments in Chicago so I like to dye some Chicago themed sports logos. Well, I sort of help. I sort of annoy the heck out of him too. We're brothers so I can't help myself.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2451774"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2009/04/25-0753381492T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
The Buzzz is bottom dyed:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2451764"><img src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2009/04/25-0844276810T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
Here's the tip: The avid reader will recall that I warm my discs in the oven at 170 for ten minutes to get richer color out of the dye. If you set the oven at 170, wait for it to pre-heat, put in the discs and then turn off the heat, the oven won't get hotter than 170, but over ten minutes it won't get much cooler either. This avoids those heat spikes that sometimes destroy a disc.Aaron Birdsall's Fish, continuedtag:discgolfer.ning.com,2009-01-01:1809917:BlogPost:15197392009-01-01T22:30:00.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
I saw Aaron Birdsall a while ago and he said he lost his fish again. This time I've made a 175 Q Omega red fish on yellow disc. <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2365344"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2009/01/01-1441212606T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
If you know Aaron, give him a heads up.
I saw Aaron Birdsall a while ago and he said he lost his fish again. This time I've made a 175 Q Omega red fish on yellow disc. <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2365344"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2009/01/01-1441212606T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
If you know Aaron, give him a heads up.Super Herostag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-12-21:1809917:BlogPost:14961332008-12-21T06:30:00.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Various people have asked me to work up super hero logos for dyed discs. I have a Batman that I've done and can do again:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2341331"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/12/06-2027406591T.jpg"></img></a><br />
<br />
You can click on that picture to see a bigger version at my photo dump site.<br />
<br />
Tonight I went to work on a Superman. The black and white art is now pretty much ready to be sent to the lady who cuts my masks. This is what the artwork looks like colorized:…
Various people have asked me to work up super hero logos for dyed discs. I have a Batman that I've done and can do again:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2341331"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/12/06-2027406591T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
You can click on that picture to see a bigger version at my photo dump site.<br />
<br />
Tonight I went to work on a Superman. The black and white art is now pretty much ready to be sent to the lady who cuts my masks. This is what the artwork looks like colorized:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2355994"><img src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/12/20-2310072566T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
I have also done The Incredibles for my brother Jon as a one-off hand-cut dye. I did not save a picture of the disc, but this is the logo:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2356012"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/12/20-2238568501T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
This is the other artwork I've been cleaning up. To be ready to be machine cut the artwork has to be 300 dpi and two color, no greys.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2356746"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/12/21-2048361479T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a>More Paper Cranestag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-12-11:1809917:BlogPost:14705442008-12-11T01:46:11.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
If you read the first paper cranes blog post, a picture is worth a thousand words.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2346095"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/12/10-1732199853T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
If the picture posts too small, click on it to go to the photo hosting site where it will display large.
If you read the first paper cranes blog post, a picture is worth a thousand words.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2346095"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/12/10-1732199853T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
If the picture posts too small, click on it to go to the photo hosting site where it will display large.Marital Harmony Saletag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-11-15:1809917:BlogPost:13856432008-11-15T05:12:24.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
No, I'm not selling marital harmony. I'm selling off my inventory to balance the family budget book.<br />
<br />
For our last two tournaments I bought discs like I expected the tournaments to be successful and well attended like last year. I came up about 100 players short of what I was hoping for. 100 player packs, 100 players worth of prizes, we're talking 2 grand here. Plus I was a little over-exuberant when I was ordering, so its worse than that.<br />
<br />
I cannot carry that inventory on the books for 6…
No, I'm not selling marital harmony. I'm selling off my inventory to balance the family budget book.<br />
<br />
For our last two tournaments I bought discs like I expected the tournaments to be successful and well attended like last year. I came up about 100 players short of what I was hoping for. 100 player packs, 100 players worth of prizes, we're talking 2 grand here. Plus I was a little over-exuberant when I was ordering, so its worse than that.<br />
<br />
I cannot carry that inventory on the books for 6 months until we do another tournament. Diana is quite sure of this. I don't e-bay or have an on-line store. I just do tournament merch and I'm seriously upside down right now.<br />
<br />
So I'm selling off as much of my inventory as I can at prices I cannot publish. If you're shopping for anything Discraft, Innova, DGA, ordinary 2008 stuff, I probably have it. You probably won't get a better price anywhere else. If you see something in the list, e-mail me for a price. I promise price won't be an issue if it is something you want.<br />
<br />
Right now the list only has 200 discs on it. Every day I'll add more until it has everything I have. Right now I have a lot more than what is on the list, so feel free to e-mail for specific stuff you don't see.<br />
<br />
You can find the excel spreadsheet here:<br />
<br />
http://www.discgolfersr.us/forum/topics/holiday-blow-out-sale<br />
<br />
Watch that thread for spreadsheet updates.Family MTA timestag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-11-07:1809917:BlogPost:13571972008-11-07T18:52:55.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
I'm not bragging. I'm just writing these down somewhere I can find them next time we go out to throw into the wind. We only started playing MTA a couple months ago, so we don't have very impressive times. We're throwing a Discraft ultimate lid.<br />
<br />
Kira: 5.11<br />
Bruce: 6.21<br />
Diana: Still working on the catching it part!<br />
<br />
My almost best time is 7.87. I mishandled the catch.<br />
<br />
If you MTA, what's your best?
I'm not bragging. I'm just writing these down somewhere I can find them next time we go out to throw into the wind. We only started playing MTA a couple months ago, so we don't have very impressive times. We're throwing a Discraft ultimate lid.<br />
<br />
Kira: 5.11<br />
Bruce: 6.21<br />
Diana: Still working on the catching it part!<br />
<br />
My almost best time is 7.87. I mishandled the catch.<br />
<br />
If you MTA, what's your best?White Posttag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-10-31:1809917:BlogPost:13298952008-10-31T04:00:00.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
This blog post is going to be a work in progress for a few days, but the recent post to my wall motivated me to go to work on it.<br />
<br />
This is my current inventory of white plastic suitable for dying with sports logos, cartoon characters and the like. I'll get weights listed eventually.<br />
<br />
In the white cube:<br />
<br />
2 Star Aviar Beadless<br />
2 Star Aviar Big Bead<br />
2 Star Beast<br />
4 Star Coyote<br />
3 Star Destroyer<br />
2 Star Firebird<br />
10 Star Eagle<br />
4 Star Leopard<br />
6 Star Max<br />
2 Star Monster<br />
1 Star Orc<br />
3 Star Sidewinder<br />
4 Star…
This blog post is going to be a work in progress for a few days, but the recent post to my wall motivated me to go to work on it.<br />
<br />
This is my current inventory of white plastic suitable for dying with sports logos, cartoon characters and the like. I'll get weights listed eventually.<br />
<br />
In the white cube:<br />
<br />
2 Star Aviar Beadless<br />
2 Star Aviar Big Bead<br />
2 Star Beast<br />
4 Star Coyote<br />
3 Star Destroyer<br />
2 Star Firebird<br />
10 Star Eagle<br />
4 Star Leopard<br />
6 Star Max<br />
2 Star Monster<br />
1 Star Orc<br />
3 Star Sidewinder<br />
4 Star Skeeter<br />
7 Star SL<br />
1 Star TL<br />
1 Star Tee Rex<br />
1 Star Valkyrie<br />
6 Star Wraith<br />
4 Star Xcaliber<br />
3 ESP Buzzz<br />
1 ESP Meteor<br />
<br />
In the subterranean storage unit<br />
<br />
24 Z Surge<br />
24 Z Buzzz<br />
14 Cryztal Avenger<br />
18 Z Flash -- mostly 173 and 174 grams<br />
3 Titanic<br />
5 ESP Pulse<br />
4 ESP Predators<br />
6 ESP Trackers<br />
2 ESP XL<br />
11 ESP First Run Force<br />
1 FLX Challenger<br />
2 ESP Predators<br />
3 X Buzzz<br />
2 X Challenger<br />
1 X Wasp -- Reserved for Barrett White if she wants it<br />
2 ESP Buzzz<br />
1 Z Wildcat<br />
1 X Crush<br />
1 ESP Wasp<br />
1 Ch Valk<br />
2 Pro Starfire<br />
1 Star Destroyer<br />
1 ESP XL<br />
1 Star Rhyno<br />
1 Big Bead Aviar<br />
<br />
In the Winter Time Fun Boxes<br />
<br />
O.k., that's enough for tonight. If you see anything you want, find some way to communicate. I'll inventory the Winter Time Fun boxes and get weights for all this stuff and post some pics of things I do with white plastic. Check in later for updates.The Magic Disctag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-09-25:1809917:BlogPost:12286552008-09-25T01:54:08.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
The other night I was sitting at a picnic table in the parking lot a block from Kira's dojo/gym putting masks on discs, and then she had an hour between classes so we spent some time playing playing putter catch. And then it was too dark to work on discs anymore, but it occured to me that on the driving range I could see all the balls in the dark so I could probably throw a white disc out there and have no trouble finding it.<br />
<br />
I picked one of those new overstable wide rimmed discs that was snow…
The other night I was sitting at a picnic table in the parking lot a block from Kira's dojo/gym putting masks on discs, and then she had an hour between classes so we spent some time playing playing putter catch. And then it was too dark to work on discs anymore, but it occured to me that on the driving range I could see all the balls in the dark so I could probably throw a white disc out there and have no trouble finding it.<br />
<br />
I picked one of those new overstable wide rimmed discs that was snow white and already had the stamp removed. I threw it good into the twilight, watched it disappear and then saw a brief flash of white as it hit the ground and skipped, in the general direction of the 110 yard flag.<br />
<br />
I walked out there counting my normal and very accurate one-yard pace, and at 100 yards it was nowhere obvious. I walked another ten yards and saw it aways ahead still. 127 yards. Not my best throw ever, but a farther than I normally throw and a lot farther than I normally throw a first drive. And the disc was not nearly as overstable as others I had thrown of its kind.<br />
<br />
So I wondered if I had miscounted my steps. I threw it the other way, and on the way back I counted on my fingers in ASL. 124 paces for sure. I throw 350 feet on a good throw. These two didn't even feel like good throws. So I kept throwing and it kept getting darker.<br />
<br />
Finally I got what felt like a good throw. I never saw the flash of the skip but it seemed like it was going in the general direction of the car. I stopped at 100 paces and looked around. Couldn't see it. Then I stopped at 110 and looked around. Still couldn't see it. I made a little pile of golf balls to mark 110, in case I needed to start a search pattern. At 130 I saw it and I was not there yet. 137 paces.<br />
<br />
So I checked on the clock and I had been throwing for 45 minutes. I decided to head back to the dojo. I told Kira about this and we wondered if I had been pacing short. We decided to stop at the high school on the way home to see if there was enough ambient light to throw. My first throw I got a horrible grip lock turn over shank off towards the dark side of the field, maybe over the fence behind the bleachers. Not good.<br />
<br />
We looked for a at least 15 minutes and could not find it. Then I went to see if I had another one the same weight and run. I did. I threw that several times and never topped 115 paces, but now that I was on a football field I could see that my pacing was reasonably accurate. Was the other disc magic or was my arm just getting tired?<br />
<br />
This morning I went to look for it in the light of the sunrise and found it right away.<br />
<br />
Longest, fastest disc I've ever thrown. Was it the hour of warm up catch? Was it a few weeks of spinning the powerball but not throwing that much. Or was it the disc?Chick Plastic Reviewtag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-09-21:1809917:BlogPost:12188692008-09-21T22:33:13.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
[Advertisement] Byron Big D Doubles is Saturday October 25. Go to the Calender on this website or the Calender on PDGA.com for more details. [/Advertisement]<br />
<br />
I went out to the football field to throw 150 plastic back to Diana and Kira, as well as some mid 160 stuff. Diana throws about 210 feet with good throws going 240. Kira throws about 240 with good throws going about 270.<br />
<br />
150 Surge: I think this is the best distance disc in the 150 class. Kira got her best throw with one of these, 273…
[Advertisement] Byron Big D Doubles is Saturday October 25. Go to the Calender on this website or the Calender on PDGA.com for more details. [/Advertisement]<br />
<br />
I went out to the football field to throw 150 plastic back to Diana and Kira, as well as some mid 160 stuff. Diana throws about 210 feet with good throws going 240. Kira throws about 240 with good throws going about 270.<br />
<br />
150 Surge: I think this is the best distance disc in the 150 class. Kira got her best throw with one of these, 273 feet, and they were both getting reliable throws. This is a nice 150 disc for old men too. I only took one throw with it but it went 345 feet. Most 150 stuff I cannot get to go much farther than 320. To push it out to 345 I threw it with a lot of hyzer flip, but it came up to flat and coasted great for the last half of the flight.<br />
<br />
150 Star Valkyrie: This was consistantly Diana's best distance driver, better than the Star and Champion 150 Sidewinders.<br />
<br />
150 Champ T-Bird: I think this is the best 150 class driver for distance and control. Kira had never thrown this disc much and she was impressed with how stable it is. This is one of Kelsey's main drivers [2008 Adv. Women's World Champion]<br />
<br />
150 ESP Avenger: This is a little less stable than the 150 Champ T-Bird and less long than the Surge.<br />
<br />
150 Star and Champ Sidewinders. These fly very similarly, not much difference between the two plastic types. Diana was not getting the good distance with either of these. They were way too flippy for Kiralyn. If you throw either of these but have not tried the Valkyrie, the Valkyrie would be worth a try.<br />
<br />
165 Avenger SS: Diana was getting some long throws with this one. This was the best of the 165+/- gram discs she was throwing.<br />
<br />
165 Champ Monarch. This disc was flying really slow for Diana and Kira and finishing shorter than a lot of their other throws. When I tried I got the same result. I had a really nice hyzer flip up to flat but it just didn't coast. I think the funky rim slows it down.<br />
<br />
Chick plastic isn't just for chicks. It's good for old men and men who aren't very athletic. We'll be nice and leave it at that.Odd Merchtag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-09-20:1809917:BlogPost:12167802008-09-20T18:35:57.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Kiralyn and I got up early and drove down to the Royal Oak Championship today. We did not play the tournament but we passed out flyers for the Flint Town Flyerz tournament next week and the Big D Doubles in October. We played nine holes at Starr-Jaycee [etymological origin of the expression "Starr par" by the way] before the TD showed up and then handed out flyers until registration closed. Then we played all 9 X 2 at Wagner.<br />
<br />
On the way home it was garage sale day in Royal Oak. It is kind of…
Kiralyn and I got up early and drove down to the Royal Oak Championship today. We did not play the tournament but we passed out flyers for the Flint Town Flyerz tournament next week and the Big D Doubles in October. We played nine holes at Starr-Jaycee [etymological origin of the expression "Starr par" by the way] before the TD showed up and then handed out flyers until registration closed. Then we played all 9 X 2 at Wagner.<br />
<br />
On the way home it was garage sale day in Royal Oak. It is kind of against our religion to drive by a garage sale when the next item on our Saturday agenda is<br />
<br />
2. Chill out and have an iced tea.<br />
<br />
It took two hours to drive the two miles back to Woodward. But we got some cool merch items. We posted the merch items on discontinuum.org/forums here:<br />
<br />
http://discontinuum.org/index.php?option=com_smf&amp;Itemid=26&amp;topic=3852.msg58687#msg58687<br />
<br />
Jon immediately dove and covered the shot glasses.Funny Girltag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-09-19:1809917:BlogPost:12127822008-09-19T01:26:00.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
My daughter Kiralyn likes to make paper cranes. But what to do with them after you've made them? Her solution is to make paper cranes out of the junk mail that comes with pre-paid business reply envelopes and then send the cranes back with cheery notes for the people who open the business reply mail. Here's today's note:<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Dear Valued-Employee-ofChase-Bank-Services,<br />
<br />
Thank you for devotedly opening mail for so long. You…
My daughter Kiralyn likes to make paper cranes. But what to do with them after you've made them? Her solution is to make paper cranes out of the junk mail that comes with pre-paid business reply envelopes and then send the cranes back with cheery notes for the people who open the business reply mail. Here's today's note:<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Dear Valued-Employee-ofChase-Bank-Services,<br />
<br />
Thank you for devotedly opening mail for so long. You have been awarded 2 paper cranes made out of Chase Bank credit card mail. These 2 cranes are unique to others of their kind in that they are nearly identical twins. They were made out of the same piece of mail, and have been together for their entire lives. Please keep the tradition alive by displaying them proudly where ever you go. Your contribution to the process makes a difference.<br />
<br />
Most Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Your Appreciative Fans<br />
<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
If you would like your own decorative paper cranes and a cheery note, send junk mail and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:<br />
<br />
Kiralyn Brakel<br />
3121 Wanamaker<br />
Waterford MI 48328.Hating on the Prostag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-09-13:1809917:BlogPost:11989232008-09-13T18:08:52.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Some people say Bruce Brakel hates the pros. I really don't. Hate gives me an acid stomach. I cannot spend much time hating anything or I pay for it all the way through the digestive process. There are a lot of pros I know and like, in no particular order other than alphabetical, including, Brett Comincioli, Mark Ellis, Kirk Haggadone, Al Schack, Barrett White, even if i might misspell or mispronounce their names.<br />
<br />
I don't have any hate for the pros. I also don't have any money for the pros.…
Some people say Bruce Brakel hates the pros. I really don't. Hate gives me an acid stomach. I cannot spend much time hating anything or I pay for it all the way through the digestive process. There are a lot of pros I know and like, in no particular order other than alphabetical, including, Brett Comincioli, Mark Ellis, Kirk Haggadone, Al Schack, Barrett White, even if i might misspell or mispronounce their names.<br />
<br />
I don't have any hate for the pros. I also don't have any money for the pros. Jon, Brett and I [and a cast of dozens] ran an A-tier last weekend with no money for the pros. Discontinuum kicked in $500. A corporate sponsor kicked in $200. Peoria Frisbee Club kicked in a $100. Brett sold $1000 worth of CFR discs for the pro purse. And we sold another $1000 worth of CFR discs to buy everyone a pizza-and-a-pop lunch both days. I wish I had more money for the pros, but I don't.<br />
<br />
I'm running Byron Big D Doubles Am-only and this is why: At Byron we pay $15 for green and cart fees. For the Ams, I can take that out of the profit on the tournament. There is not much profit on the tournament after I do that, but I can still run a good show. For the pros, if I take out $15 per player for green and cart fees, that's just a shabby payout.<br />
<br />
To show my pure hatred for the pros, this is what I'm going to do: With my Byron Big D disc order this year I'm going to get 25 Big D CFR Destroyers. If you are a pro and you buy one, you will have priority for registering for the tournament in 2009. And if you play in a protected pro division, we'll offer that division in 2009. If you are an am and you buy one, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that in 2009 you can compare your am scores to pro scores and we'll have pros at the tournament. What I'll do in 2009 is apply the money raised to pro green fees, and let in that many pro teams. If Byron Big D doesn't go in 2009, I'll give the money raised to Harvest Doubles in Grand Ledge, so the money will stay in the game for the pros.<br />
<br />
Byron Big D Doubles is October 25, 2008. Check out the tournament calender on this site for more details.Another post-Worlds Lame Blog Entrytag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-08-28:1809917:BlogPost:7887572008-08-28T03:55:06.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
For those of you who have not read enough of these already.<br />
<br />
We camped at Coldbrook. All the campers, disc golfers and not, were respectful of the quiet hours. That was very nice. I've never had that experience in a public improved campground before, although it seems common in the private campgrounds. Kelsey and Kira caught fireflies and made a fireflyarium out of the picnic table tant thing. We foraged for wood and made one-match fires. We cooked hobo pies and smores.<br />
<br />
Doubles. Diana and I…
For those of you who have not read enough of these already.<br />
<br />
We camped at Coldbrook. All the campers, disc golfers and not, were respectful of the quiet hours. That was very nice. I've never had that experience in a public improved campground before, although it seems common in the private campgrounds. Kelsey and Kira caught fireflies and made a fireflyarium out of the picnic table tant thing. We foraged for wood and made one-match fires. We cooked hobo pies and smores.<br />
<br />
Doubles. Diana and I played doubles just for the fun. We beat some of the teams we wanted to beat, but Diana was a little off her game. We took last prizes. The main thing is the Dream Team won. I got Kelsey partnered up with the highest rated local boy I could find. They took a small lead in the best shot morning round. Then in alternating shot they crushed the opposition. When you crush in alternating mixed, that means the girl stepped up. Now that Kelsey has won one, she can be my partner at future World Mixed Doubles. Until she wins one for me!<br />
<br />
Singles. I played Advanced with the boys instead of playing with the old men. All the bagging in the age protected divisions, at both ends of the age spectrum, was a little nauseating. So, since I wasn't a contender in either division, I decided to play with the boys in Advanced.<br />
<br />
I'm really glad I did. I played well for me. I made the semi-finals. I beat 220 or so younger men and approximately one older man. I did not get so worn out I'll be crippled for a year -- providing i take a month off right now! I did especially well on the harder courses. At Timber Ridge I played well enough to beat the Open A pool cut line. 986 rated.<br />
<br />
Kelsey started hot in singles and so did the Frazier girl. Kelsey stayed hot and had a 15 throw lead by mid way. A 983 rated round at Begg helped. Then she let up a little and Michelle closed within seven. I got to walk with Kelsey for the Final 9. She was out of gas but so was Michelle. Paige made a big move. If it had been a Final 18 on that course, Paige might have been the winner.<br />
<br />
Kira did fine. She finished middle of the Advanced Women pack. 14 years old. Not bad.<br />
<br />
Diana was disappointed with her performance. That happens. She had serious head game problems. I'm starting to find a solution for my head game problems. I think that was the big difference between her Worlds and mine. I have a multi-layered strategy for dealing with head game problems now, but it all comes down to perspective.Connecting the Dotstag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-07-26:1809917:BlogPost:3994992008-07-26T04:31:37.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
<i>Recently I posted on the GRABM message board. Jon and Brett don't like it when I post because I tell too much truth. So I sent an e-mail to Jon and Brett warning them that I had lost control of myself and posted there. I told them I was just out riding my trike, remembering childhood crushes, and one thing led to another, and then I was posting on the GRABM site. Later I decided the "one-thing-led-to-another" could make for an amusing explanation so I wrote it up and sent it to Jon. What…</i>
<i>Recently I posted on the GRABM message board. Jon and Brett don't like it when I post because I tell too much truth. So I sent an e-mail to Jon and Brett warning them that I had lost control of myself and posted there. I told them I was just out riding my trike, remembering childhood crushes, and one thing led to another, and then I was posting on the GRABM site. Later I decided the "one-thing-led-to-another" could make for an amusing explanation so I wrote it up and sent it to Jon. What follows is what I sent Jon, slightly edited for a more general audience.</i><br />
<br />
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Do you ever wonder whatever happened to childhood acquaintances you didn't keep in touch with? For me, that's every one of them.<br />
<br />
The a couple of days ago I was out riding my trike and I went by a law office and I wondered if that used to be Larry Ternan's office. And then I wondered whatever might have happened to Lucia Tiernan. Ternan/Tiernan. Every time Larry Ternan appears in our Court I miss what the first guy has to say because I start thinking about Lucia Tiernan! I had a crush on Lucia in 7th and 8th grade. She lived on the street that's one over from 7th which surprisingly was neither 8th nor 6th! It was Kenwood, if i recall correctly. So, anyway, sometimes I'd ride by when I was doing my paper route, and occasionally she'd be out. Back then I thought she liked me but I was never sure. At the end of eighth grade she told me she was going to Lake Forest Academy for high school. I went home and cried, and then delivered the papers.<br />
<br />
As I rode the other day I remembered that I had looked her up once or twice on google and had gotten no hits. She probably changed her name when she got married. I decided I'd look her up again, and then forgot all about it. Until yesterday. Lyle Ross posted on discgolfersr.us and I got an automatic e-mail that I mistook for saying Lyall Mercer posted on discgolfersr.us which was quite surprising. Lyall isn't a disc golfer. He's an Australian evangelist pastoring a little <a href="http://www.basechurch.com">church</a> in Waterford, Michigan, for the time being. If he's posting on discgolfersr.us, he must have googled me! And all that reminded me that I wanted to google Lucia.<br />
<br />
Lucia is all over the internet in her married name. She blogs about blogging on a blog where she helps bloggers with things like add-ons and plug-ins and increasing traffic count and linking stuff. In a recent comment to a blog post she flippantly remarked on the name of the previous person to comment,<br />
<br />
<b>"When I was an undergrad, I admired the faculty members who all seemed to be able to read names like<br />
volodymyrzablotskyy.com without hesitation. They also managed to read all the polish, eastern european, arab, iranian names with no problems. Polysyllabic Indian names? Finnish or Hungarian names? No problem. Turkish? Fine.<br />
<br />
Then, they would near the end of the alphabet and stop short at: "Lucia Tiernan". I'm not making this up. (I had one faculty member actually ask how I got such a <i>strange</i> name, because clearly "Lucia" does not go with "Tiernan". )</b><br />
<br />
So I looked around and found her About Me page. She looks the right age in a 50X50 postage stamp picture. She's in the Chicago area. She's very smart and witty. She's an expert knitter and writes programs for knitting machines. She went to grad school and taught at ISU some. She's married to a scientist who is stranded in the Arctic but not in any danger so long as they get back on the boat when they see polar bears. Except for the scientist husband in the arctic, it all fits what I remember about her. And anybody could have a scientist spouse stranded up north. It happens.<br />
<br />
So I said hello on her About Me page:<br />
<br />
<b>Hey Lucia,<br />
<br />
I was out riding my trike the other day when the thought came to me, “I wonder what became of Lucia Tiernan?” I think this might have been the dying gasp of one the last neuron sets devoted to “Lucia Tiernan” because all else I can remember about you is your smile and flashing eyebrows.<br />
<br />
Highland Junior High? Broke all the public school boys’ hearts when you decided to go to Lake Forest Academy? I’ve always hoped you left a trail of broken hearts through college and grad school! Assuming you are her.<br />
<br />
I wouldn’t expect you to remember me. Feel free to remove this kind of personal stuff from your page.<br />
<br />
Fondest regards.</b><br />
<br />
So that caused me to wonder what Lucia would find if she Googled me. I googled myself and found a lot of disc golf stuff and my office phone number. I found a message board post mentioning my name over at GRABM's forum so I read that and responded.<br />
<br />
That's how remembering long lost crushes led me to posting on GRABM's website.<br />
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
Hey, I figured out how to do the cool blogging thing with the word that is a link. Over at PDGA.com there's a utility that does it for you.A new one.tag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-07-15:1809917:BlogPost:3827092008-07-15T04:30:00.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2173061"><img src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/07/14-1836492349T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
This disc is currently on auction in the Equipment threads at PDGA.com. Look for the IOS Auction thread. Oh, this is awesome: click on the picture. Wait! Hold on to your chair and click on the picture. I'm not insured for this.
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2173061"><img src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/07/14-1836492349T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
This disc is currently on auction in the Equipment threads at PDGA.com. Look for the IOS Auction thread. Oh, this is awesome: click on the picture. Wait! Hold on to your chair and click on the picture. I'm not insured for this.Byron Big D Doubles is NOT going on July 12tag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-07-09:1809917:BlogPost:3746912008-07-09T20:34:07.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Byron Big D Doubles is NOT going on July 12. Sorry. Pre-reg was too slow to give the golf course the guarantee they wanted. We can do it in the fall without guaranteeing anything. Watch for a new date.<br />
<br />
Dunkin Doubles is going on in GR if you really want to play organized tournament doubles that weekend.<br />
<br />
Tracy and I might go out early Saturday to mark permanent tees.
Byron Big D Doubles is NOT going on July 12. Sorry. Pre-reg was too slow to give the golf course the guarantee they wanted. We can do it in the fall without guaranteeing anything. Watch for a new date.<br />
<br />
Dunkin Doubles is going on in GR if you really want to play organized tournament doubles that weekend.<br />
<br />
Tracy and I might go out early Saturday to mark permanent tees.Byron Big D - Going or Not Going?tag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-07-02:1809917:BlogPost:3406742008-07-02T00:55:01.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Pre-registration for Byron Big D has been anemic. I'm trying to use every means possible to let disc golfers know that if I don't get some serious pre-reg by this Friday, three days from now, we're going to have to cancel this. We cannot close the golf course to golfers if we don't know we have a decent number of players.<br />
<br />
You can pre-reg by going to the www.pdga.com discussion board in the Ann Arbor Area section in the Byron Big D thread and posting your name, your partner's name, and both…
Pre-registration for Byron Big D has been anemic. I'm trying to use every means possible to let disc golfers know that if I don't get some serious pre-reg by this Friday, three days from now, we're going to have to cancel this. We cannot close the golf course to golfers if we don't know we have a decent number of players.<br />
<br />
You can pre-reg by going to the www.pdga.com discussion board in the Ann Arbor Area section in the Byron Big D thread and posting your name, your partner's name, and both your ratings. If you are read-only at pdga.com, send me an e-mail: rollerdoos at aol dot com.<br />
<br />
It's $50 a player. That includes lunch and carts and player packs and the works.<br />
<br />
Because blog posts hang on the front page here for awhile, I'm blogging it. I'll also post on club pages all over out here.No Cameratag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-06-27:1809917:BlogPost:3344102008-06-27T14:21:25.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
I've been dying some discs but the cameras are in Arizona.<br />
<br />
Jesse Cahill gave me a pale pink Champ Firebird at Crystal Lake to put a Pistons logo on it. That's done. It came out fine, but the colors were not quite as rich as I would prefer. Otherwise it was pretty much bleed-free and I got complete coverage of the elements. I think this one gets a B+.<br />
<br />
I did a Red Wings, a Pistons and a Tigers D on Star Wraiths. I did these in one evening baking them at 170 for 20 minutes. These came out good.…
I've been dying some discs but the cameras are in Arizona.<br />
<br />
Jesse Cahill gave me a pale pink Champ Firebird at Crystal Lake to put a Pistons logo on it. That's done. It came out fine, but the colors were not quite as rich as I would prefer. Otherwise it was pretty much bleed-free and I got complete coverage of the elements. I think this one gets a B+.<br />
<br />
I did a Red Wings, a Pistons and a Tigers D on Star Wraiths. I did these in one evening baking them at 170 for 20 minutes. These came out good. I'll do some more tonight on Xcallies.<br />
<br />
I bought an extra roll of the vinyl masking so I could use that to mask to the edges. The professional stuff is great. It goes on tight and comes off clean and easy. If you're working with sign vinyl or contac paper, you really should try the professional masking vinyl.<br />
<br />
I'm doing a dozen Cubs as soon as I get the stickers from Suzanne. She's also doing two new designs, Jerry Garcia and another one that I cannot disclose. I'll post a pic of the Jerry Garcia. I've hand cut this one several times but now I've worked it up for a machine cut.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1149164"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2007/01/23-2151114887T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
There's this other guy who wants me to do a couple of Ohio States but he wants to make it really complicated. This time of the year I don't have time for complicated. I did a couple of Ohio States for another guy who's disc preference was, "Doesn't really matter if it is Ohio State." I can do that. I can also do the thing where you buy the disc from me at a tournament and we put a sticker on the back saying what you want. I have trophies to make and discs to dye for tournaments. I have to keep the rest simple. Sorry, Mr. Too Complicated Ohio State. When you're ready, you'll get you're discs.This and thattag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-06-03:1809917:BlogPost:2931782008-06-03T03:56:31.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Anyone else notice how extra fragrant the Russian olives are this spring? Maybe it is just because my allergies have been lighter and I can breathe through my nose. Anyone else having lighter spring allergies?<br />
<br />
We had 107 and 110 players each day for IOS #2. My crazy idea for how to split the divisions, or Mike Krupicka's idea if I'm just stealing credit here, has turned out to be pure genius. Half-in is working good too, even if Mike and Jon have problems with the math. Ties make it a lot…
Anyone else notice how extra fragrant the Russian olives are this spring? Maybe it is just because my allergies have been lighter and I can breathe through my nose. Anyone else having lighter spring allergies?<br />
<br />
We had 107 and 110 players each day for IOS #2. My crazy idea for how to split the divisions, or Mike Krupicka's idea if I'm just stealing credit here, has turned out to be pure genius. Half-in is working good too, even if Mike and Jon have problems with the math. Ties make it a lot harder than one might think.<br />
<br />
I had fun during my IOS Open debut. I got to play with some real pros and some guys like me playing up for their reasons. I did about as well in Open as I did at U of M Law School.<br />
<br />
I was getting together my Innova and Discraft orders for my next tournament. I was trying to figure out if my Innova order added up to a Platinum Package but i could not remember the wholesale pricing so Kelsey tried to look it up for me. After five minutes of her searching the Innova site fruitlessly, I said, "Look on the Discraft site." She found Innova's wholesale custom stamping prices on the Discraft site in about 20 seconds.<br />
<br />
If any Schwinns are reading this, e-mail me, please. I'll look for you on site too.Toboggantag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-05-25:1809917:BlogPost:2781032008-05-25T00:52:30.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
Kelsey spotted and I played the Toboggan today. I shot a 68. There just aren't any easy holes out there. It was a lot easier to shoot a 68 being 30 pounds lighter!
Kelsey spotted and I played the Toboggan today. I shot a 68. There just aren't any easy holes out there. It was a lot easier to shoot a 68 being 30 pounds lighter!Diversity trainingtag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-05-17:1809917:BlogPost:2642012008-05-17T04:00:00.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
I attended mandatory diversity training today. It is important that a person in my position be diversity trained because my average day is spent alone in my office in the basement reading, summarizing and analyzing legal arguments. 90% of the phone calls I receive are wrong numbers. The other 10% are my wife and kids calling me to come home for lunch or to drive someone to ballet or karate. Dealing with the public or pretty much anyone other than my boss is just outside of my job…
I attended mandatory diversity training today. It is important that a person in my position be diversity trained because my average day is spent alone in my office in the basement reading, summarizing and analyzing legal arguments. 90% of the phone calls I receive are wrong numbers. The other 10% are my wife and kids calling me to come home for lunch or to drive someone to ballet or karate. Dealing with the public or pretty much anyone other than my boss is just outside of my job description.<br />
<br />
So I wheedled my way into today's diversity training session instead of the one I signed up for because I have a cold and was not going to get much legal analysis done today. Better have a mandatory wasted afternoon on a day that is looking wasted from the get go.<br />
<br />
Diversity training was completely mysterious. They never really got around to telling us that we cannot be mean to people because of their weight, religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, handicap or religion, but you can be mean to them because of pretty much anything else. Instead we played this game where you had to pick who you wanted to be of the people being profiled on the wall, and they revealed one characteristic of the person in each phase of the game. In the last phase, pretty much anyone you wanted to be was gay, dying of a disease, on their way to jail or working for the mafia. Fortunately, all along I wanted to be the 45 year old auto worker because he sounded the most like a disc golfer, and it turned out he won the lottery! All I learned from this is that I really don't want to be gay, dying of a disease, on my way to jail or working for the mafia, but winning the lottery would be bonus.<br />
<br />
Throughout the session I was attentive, polite and involved. And I was very diverse in what I did not say. Our diversity trainer kept asking various women in the room if they had taken the class before because they looked familiar. I kept resisting the urge to say, "I'm sure all these white chicks look the same to you. I have the same problem."Two Lucky 1000+ rated roundstag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-05-11:1809917:BlogPost:2526482008-05-11T13:19:01.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
I always wanted to throw a 1000 rated round in a sanctioned tournament. At my age with my rating it did not seem likely. In seven days I've now thrown two of them.<br />
<br />
At the Pennsylvania State Championships I played Am Master and we had a very close match for 60 holes. After 54 holes I was in second, 2 back. At the beginning of the fourth round I started to make a move. I birdied three of the first four holes before getting a bogey. The other leader and I went back and forth for a couple of holes…
I always wanted to throw a 1000 rated round in a sanctioned tournament. At my age with my rating it did not seem likely. In seven days I've now thrown two of them.<br />
<br />
At the Pennsylvania State Championships I played Am Master and we had a very close match for 60 holes. After 54 holes I was in second, 2 back. At the beginning of the fourth round I started to make a move. I birdied three of the first four holes before getting a bogey. The other leader and I went back and forth for a couple of holes and then I went on a tear at the end, getting birdies on eight of the last ten holes. Other than a hole-in-one that I was actually going for, I did not really benefit or suffer from any low probability occurrences. The hole-in-one was not a bad drive either. I threw a putter off the tee at a basket on a slow green. I would have made the birdie come back if it had missed. So 1011 apparently is what I get if I execute to my ability off the tee almost every hole, and have one low probability occurrence go in my favor and none against.<br />
<br />
At the Austin Collision Kelsey informed me that it was no longer sporting for me to play Am Master. In the morning I threw a -1, or 945ish rated round. I was in the middle of the pack in advanced a couple of throws back from last prizes. In the afternoon I started off with four straight birdies on holes I've birdied before. Two of them were 20 foot putts. One was a jumper outside the circle. One was a big stretching frisbee-style anhyzer toss through a gap in the schule. I was going to dink it up to the base of the basket and then thought, "That's stupid. Dink it up chain high and give it a chance." I got par-birdie-par on three holes I'd normally go par-birdie-par on. Then i got a very low probability throw in the woods. On the luck thread I mentioned that I meant to miss the first 12 trees. I often accomplish that. Missing the next 58 is beyond my skill level. But the hole is only 285 if you miss the trees. I made a 20 foot come back putt for birdie. The next three holes are birdie holes and I got two of the three. Then comes a hole where a three is a good score and i made a jumper for 4. I birdied the remaining two birdie holes and got pars on the remaining two bogie holes. For this round I had about five low probability occurrences break my way and only one go against me. So I played a 984 round and got a net 44 bonus points of low probability outcomes in my favor.<br />
<br />
I think a few things are shifting the occurrence of low probability outcomes in my favor. I've lost a lot of weight. At the end of the round I'm still fresh. I'm down 30 pounds from 18 months ago. It brings good luck if you are in shape for a competition involving moderate physical exertion. and it is easier to get a little zip on a jump putt without the 30 pound handicap. Very recently I've been working on balance. I know when my Chinese bladder syndrome flares up I suck at the game. Chinese bladder syndrome causes balance problems. So it makes sense that doing balance exercises would also bring some good luck. And i've been practicing putting and playing a lot of rounds. This always brings good luck.For Tradetag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-05-09:1809917:BlogPost:2495172008-05-09T17:03:49.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2073267"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/09-1004096394M.jpg"></img></a> <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2073268"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/09-1004136408M.jpg"></img></a> <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2073269"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/09-1004172857M.jpg"></img></a><br />
<br />
If you're going to be at Austin's Collision, I could trade two ESP new anything for one of these. 175 Tee-Bird, 168 Wraith, 166 Eagle. All Star…
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2073267"><img src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/09-1004096394M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2073268"><img src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/09-1004136408M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2073269"><img src="http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/09-1004172857M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
If you're going to be at Austin's Collision, I could trade two ESP new anything for one of these. 175 Tee-Bird, 168 Wraith, 166 Eagle. All Star plastic.Austin Collision Challenge Trophiestag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-05-08:1809917:BlogPost:2461952008-05-08T00:34:55.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070858"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728009847M.jpg"></img></a> <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070859"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728078214M.jpg"></img></a> <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070860"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728156629M.jpg"></img></a> <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070861"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728229906M.jpg"></img></a> <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070862"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728295436M.jpg"></img></a> <a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070863"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728382445M.jpg"></img></a>
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070858"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728009847M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070859"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728078214M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070860"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728156629M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070861"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728229906M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070862"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728295436M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070863"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728382445M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070864"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728457379M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2070865"><img src="http://img3.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/07-1728522047M.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
Saturday this weekend at Holly State Recreation Area. You can check out the tour page at PDGA.com to get redirected to tournament details.Aaron Birdsall's Fishtag:discgolfer.ning.com,2008-05-02:1809917:BlogPost:2337352008-05-02T04:53:08.000ZBruce Brakelhttp://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/BruceBrakel
If you know the guy and have e-mail info for him, tell him to check this out:<br />
<br />
Aaron I have not forgot about your disc. I've been cleaning up the artwork so i can get the mask professionally cut. Here's an image of the almost clean artwork:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2059665"><img alt="free image hosting" border="0" src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/01-2150219197T.jpg"></img></a><br />
<br />
I've got your contact info on the bag the disc is in. It will be worth the…
If you know the guy and have e-mail info for him, tell him to check this out:<br />
<br />
Aaron I have not forgot about your disc. I've been cleaning up the artwork so i can get the mask professionally cut. Here's an image of the almost clean artwork:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=2059665"><img src="http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/05/01-2150219197T.jpg" alt="free image hosting" border="0"/></a><br />
<br />
I've got your contact info on the bag the disc is in. It will be worth the wait.